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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26538385">Sway</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/schakerin/pseuds/schakerin'>schakerin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>FFXIV Write 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, FFxivWrite 2020, Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Fluff, I don't ever know how to tag anything, No Beta We Die Like Ascians, Post Hades Fight, yes it's one of those</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:40:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,267</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26538385</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/schakerin/pseuds/schakerin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Exarch wants to celebrate their success with the Warrior of Light. His body disagrees.</p><p>Prompt 2 of the FFXIV Write 2020 list (because I wasn't going to do it but I guess I am)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch/Warrior of Light</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>FFXIV Write 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910872</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sway</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I never planned on staying anywhere near up to date on these, but since it was directly inspired with the ffxiv Write 2020 theme in mind, it's part of that collection lmao</p><p>I've been tapping this out for like 2 weeks bc I had no idea how to get to the end I wanted<br/>and I... did not get to the end I wanted. Whatever.<br/>Have some inconsequential Mia/Exarch</p><p>Directly post-Hades</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>sway (v.)</p><p>1: to swing slowly and rhythmically back and forth from a base or pivot; to move gently from an upright to a leaning position</p><p> </p><p>The Crystarium was alive with the sights and sounds of revelry-- there was dancing, music, food, drink, laughter, and no small amount of tears as the Exarch made his way through the thick of things. He hadn’t yet had the rest he probably needed, but he would be damned if he didn’t see his people rejoice at the final retreat of the light, and he figured he should probably make an appearance besides, so he slowly traveled from one end of the Crystarium to the other, leaning a bit on his staff, giving and receiving thanks along the way.</p><p>But while he was genuinely enjoying himself, he was also on the lookout for Matmia, to see how she fared in all this. To see if she was as well as she put on. To see if she was enjoying herself. Perhaps, to see her smile.</p><p>He felt a blush creep down his neck and up to his ears at his meandering thoughts and gripped his staff tighter to ground himself. </p><p>The Exarch finally found her around Sweetsieve, dancing a simple folk dance with some of the Crystarium children (who were up well past their bedtimes, to their excitement). He pulled up his hood and took a seat on one of the many crates scattered around the area, content to watch Matmia spin and skip and dance with the children with a freedom he’d never seen her express. Her face was flushed in splotchy reds from her cheeks to her ears, in that way that would never fail to force a smile out of the Exarch. Her dark hair shone in the moonlight. He thought that she must have been the vision of Menphina Herself.</p><p>He continued to sit, lost in his thoughts, even as she spotted him and started making her way to him.</p><p>“Exarch! What brings you out so late? Is everything alright?” The box he sat upon put him at eye level with the tall Lalafell. It was much harder to concentrate when she was so--<em> close. </em></p><p><em> Gods be good </em>, he pleaded to himself. Out loud, he responded, “Oh, pardon me, my friend, there’s no trouble. I merely wanted to join in the festivities. Or, I suppose, to simply take them in, as the case may be. I’ve never been very good at holding my liquor.”</p><p>“Is that so? I’m not much of a drinker, myself,” Matmia chuckled somewhat breathlessly. “But there are other ways to celebrate!” She offered her hand to him with a flourish and a bow.</p><p>Without a second thought, the Exarch placed his hand in hers and she pulled him to his feet. Immediately he felt the world tilt and sway, and he stumbled to get his balance. Mia steadied him with her other arm. "Or, perhaps not. Are you okay?"</p><p>The Exarch gave a sad smile. "I'm alright, thank you." He sighed and closed his eyes, but quickly became dizzy again and snapped them back open, focusing on the horizon. "I think maybe I… didn't get as much rest as I thought."</p><p>Matmia smiled up at him warmly, and the Exarch thought her mismatched eyes were like the stars and the night sky, and twinkled even more beautifully. "Let's get you back then, shall we?" she suggested softly.</p><p>"Oh, but I wouldn't want to interrupt your merriment! You are, after all, the bringer of night; it is a celebration for you and your fellow Scions as much as it is for the return of the night sky."</p><p>"Yes well," she made sure he was steady on his feet, then grasped his flesh elbow firmly. She only came up to his chest, so it was quite an awkward way to support him. The Exarch flushed and hoped it was too dark to see. "I'm starting to get tired, myself. Lest you forget, much has happened these past few days." The Exarch opened his mouth, couldn't find a retort, and closed it again. "Come, let me walk you home."</p><p>The Exarch huffed a chuckle. "Very well. Lead the way, my friend."</p><p>After bidding farewell to the children, they made their way across the Crystarium in companionable silence. Though he was more exhausted these past weeks than he could ever recall being, he was also the most content. Here he was, arm-in-arm with his greatest inspiration as she guided him back to the tower. She had always been kind and earnest in her mission to help others, and he had always found her charming, but now, now he could see life in her, could feel her passion and her drive. She was like an early summer storm, fierce and beautiful and <em> thrilling</em>, her presence able to revitalize even the most wilted of wills.</p><p>He had been enamored with her before, but this…</p><p>Gods, he wished he could have danced with her. Not for the first time, he cursed his crystal body.</p><p>They arrived presently at the base of the tower, and the Exarch made to move away. Matmia held onto his arm more tightly. "I'm walking you all the way in, I want to be sure you don't faint on your way." The Exarch opened his mouth to object, but she scowled playfully and cut him off, "No buts!"</p><p>"My apologies for inconveniencing you with this, but thank you for your support."</p><p>Matmia looked up into his eyes, glowing gently in the dark of his hood. He had stopped using glamours to make the shadows impenetrable, and he was thankful he didn't have to, but he felt Matmia's soul-searching gaze was more potent when she met his eyes. She gave him a look that said, <em> What am I to do with you? </em>and urged him forward up the great stone stairs.</p><p>The two briefly greeted the gatekeep, who left to join the celebration at the Exarch's urging and Matmia's reassurance that they will be fine, then continued in to the tower proper.</p><p>Matmia mentally prepared herself to face the long staircase that would take them up to the Ocular, but the Exarch placed his crystal hand over hers that still held his arm and gave her a sly smile.</p><p>She briefly felt a weightlessness accompanied by a bright flash, then suddenly she and her companion were standing in an unfamiliar corridor with dim lights. The Exarch started down the hallway, but paused and turned to her when she didn't follow right after. "Well, come along then," he invited with a quiet laugh.</p><p>The Exarch stopped in front of a door a short ways down from the waypoint, which opened with a tap of his hand, and he led Matmia inside. He watched her openly curious expression as she scanned the space. It wasn't much, the tower's caretaker was aware, but he hoped it didn't seem as un-lived in as he knew it to be. In comparison to the rest of the rooms of the tower, his room was quite small, and sparsely furnished as well.</p><p>The Exarch patted Matmia's hand, a silent signal that he no longer required her assistance, and she let go and stepped out of his personal space.</p><p>"Thank you for escorting me home, Matmia," he said with much more tenderness than he had meant to. She smiled a most genuine smile, and the man felt his heart flutter. <em> Gods.</em></p><p>"You're most welcome, Exarch," she replied in a teasing tone."Now, if you'll excuse me, there's some things I need to fetch."</p><p>"Ah, well, I suppose I should freshen up. Pray, excuse me as well." He gave a short bow, just enough without triggering more dizziness.</p><p>She waved at him, then turned and left without more fuss.</p><p>When the door slid shut, the Exarch let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He turned to the connected washroom to quickly clean up and disrobe.</p><p><em> Azeyma preserve me, </em> he thought ruefully as he splashed water on his face, <em> if this is how moony I get when she simply walks with me across the Crystarium… How ever did I not reveal myself to her on her journey? </em></p><p>With these thoughts, he quickly dried off, slipped on a fresh robe, and half-walked, half-shambled his way to his bed-- sized for a single Roegadyn, which meant ample room for the Miqo'te man-- and collapsed unceremoniously upon it.</p><p>The Exarch had resigned himself to just sleeping where he lay awkwardly atop the covers when there was a knock at the door. He bolted up and flipped through the short list of people who might have known to check for him in his room. The visitor knocked a second time.</p><p>"Hello, Exarch? I don't know how to open the door." Matmia?</p><p>He rose swiftly and opened the door. She stood holding a bag she often used for travel and beamed up at him. There was a beat of silence where they simply looked at each other. "May I come in?"</p><p>"I… wasn't aware you were going to come back," he explained while eyeing her bag, his voice low.</p><p>Her grin faltered. "Oh, should I not have?"</p><p>"No, no, by all means, you may stay. I should be grateful for your company." He stepped back from the door, allowing her inside. "I'm just sorry I don't have anything to offer you at the moment." He absently fidgeted with the long sleeve of his robe.</p><p>Matmia set her bag down on one of the two bedside tables. "Exarch please, you don't have to entertain me. I'm not here as your guest, I'm here as your friend. Besides," she turned to her bag and began to rummage around inside, "you look even more exhausted than when I left half a bell ago."</p><p>"I look that bad, huh?" he asked sheepishly. Matmia chuckled.</p><p>"Indeed. Come, sit down."</p><p>She set a few objects on the table, and he couldn’t help the way his ears perked up curiously. The tower's keeper sat on the bed next to where she stood and scooted himself until his back was against the headboard. He noticed he was at eye level with her again when she turned to him.</p><p>"Okay, so this is to help with the vertigo--" Matmia handed him a small vial. The Exarch grimaced. "--oh behave, it doesn't taste <em> that </em> bad-- and anyways, this is to help wash it down." She showed him a small satchel and thermos, presumably waiting for the Exarch to properly take his medicine before he could find out what they were.</p><p>With a dubious look, he uncorked the vial and downed it before he could reconsider. He shivered from head to tail. It was thick and vile.</p><p>Matmia couldn't help but snicker at him, but she took the vial away quickly and passed him the little satchel, which he found contained a few sesame cookies. From the thermos she poured a hot, floral tea. He took the cup from her gratefully.</p><p>"Thank you for this, my friend. Such care is more than I deserve, truly."</p><p>Matmia met his gaze, and he found he couldn't look away. "You deserve this much and more, G'raha Tia."</p><p>A shiver of a completely different sort ran up the Exarch's spine. He took a large drink of tea to distract from the way his eyes stung.</p><p>A moment of peace passed where the two shared some of the cookies and idle conversation, and where Matmia poured her friend a couple more soothing cups of tea, before the Exarch started to feel more himself again. He was exhausted still, and felt the haze of sleep creeping into his mind, but he was noticeably less dizzy.</p><p>He placed his empty cup back on the nightstand. "I think I will be able to rest comfortably thanks to you," he said to his inspiration. There was a warm, genuine smile on his face, he knew, that he couldn't have stopped if he'd wanted to. "And, I suppose, thanks to Chessamille, too-- vile though the concoction was."</p><p>Matmia had begun to pack her things away, but looked back to him when he spoke. A shy grin graced her features. "Actually, I made that, I hope you don't mind."</p><p>The Exarch's ears wiggled in delight, and a happy blush colored his cheeks. "You are, as ever, a woman of many talents, Matmia."</p><p>"And are there any more of my many talents you need, my Lord Exarch?" she offered, cheeky but genuine. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. He blinked hard and forced them back open.</p><p>"No, thank you, you've already done so much. Please, you must need to rest as well."</p><p>She slung her bag over her shoulder and nodded at him. "Rest well, my friend. I hope to see you feeling better on the morrow." The Exarch hummed in reply, barely present.</p><p>Before she could turn from the door, though, he called out to her, "Would…"</p><p>Hestopped himself. He'd opened his mouth before thinking, but he knew what he was going to ask. <em> Would you stay with me? </em>He was lucid enough still to catch himself, thank the Twelve, there was no way he could ask her that. He bit his lip, then started again, "Would you dance with me, if we have another chance?"</p><p>He felt her small hand grasp his and give a comforting squeeze. She beamed at him, her eyes sparkling back at him. “I would like nothing more. Sleep well, my friend.”</p><p>He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so peacefully.</p>
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